Pharmaceutical Sector Country Profiles aim to increase the availability of
quality information on structures, processes and outcomes of health and pharmaceutical sectors of countries. This information
will be collected through a questionnaire and is meant to be used by country decision-makers, health and
pharmaceutical experts, international partners and the public through databases and published country, regional and
global reports.

The information is categorized in nine sections, namely:

Health and Demographic data,

Health Services,

Medicines Policies,

Medicines Trade and Production,

Medicines Regulation,

Medicines Financing,

Pharmaceutical Procurement and distribution,

Selection and Rational Use and

Household data/access.

Every four years since 1999, health officials from the 193 WHO Member States
have been invited to complete a standardized questionnaire (named Level I) reporting on the status of the
national pharmaceutical situation. Level I indicators assessed structures and processes related to the pharmaceutical
situation of a country. They were used to carry out a rapid assessment that would highlight strengths and weaknesses of
countries pharmaceutical situations. 156 countries responded to the 2007 level I survey and the results were stored
and available in a global WHO database and used to develop a global report as well as a number of regional and
sub-regional reports. The Pharmaceutical Sector Country Profile questionnaire described here will replace
the Level I tool for the 2011 Member States' survey. The aim of this new approach is to build on the achievements and
lessons learnt from the Level I tools and surveys and to improve the quality and scope of information (e.g, outcomes
and results indicators) and enhance the involvement and ownership of countries in the development of profiles. The
new tool has been piloted in the 15 countries of the Southern African Development Community in 2009 and in 13
countries across the world in 2010. The results of these pilots are available on-line at:

Another innovation of the 2011 survey is the collaboration between WHO and
The Global Fund. In 2009, the Global Fund developed and introduced the Pharmaceutical and Health Product Management
("PHPM") Country Profile to gradually replace the Procurement and Supply Management ("PSM") Plan. In the
course of 2010 both agencies have developed a joint Pharmaceutical Sector Country Profile questionnaire that
includes key indicators of the pharmaceutical sector and that will be used by
both agencies as the sole tool for pharmaceutical sector data collection in countries. The information captured in the Pharmaceutical Sector
Country Profile questionnaire will be used by the Global Fund during grant negotiations and signing, and will also
support grant implementation. In addition to the Country Profile that provides an overview of countries'
pharmaceutical sectors, the Global Fund will also use a second questionnaire that will focus in more detail on medicines
procurement and supply.